Overview
- Demonstrations over economic collapse have broadened into anti-regime protests across multiple cities despite arrests and communications blackouts.
- Reza Pahlavi urges people to remain on the streets, casts himself as a steward of a democratic transition rather than a returning monarch, and touts a stated 100-day plan.
- Pahlavi’s team promotes a QR-code “secure defection” channel for security personnel and claims tens of thousands have engaged, a figure not independently verified.
- A Jan. 8–9 call to protest drew reported traction on Persian Instagram, with 3.2 million likes and 88 million views, according to the New York Post.
- Experts say the outcome hinges on whether security forces split, with figures such as Hassan Rouhani and Seyed Hossein Mousavian mentioned as potential players if the regime falters.